KATHRYN THOMAS

Kathryn Thomas (she/her) is a senior at Duke University majoring in public policy, with a human rights certificate and a political science minor. She grew up in Henderson County and is proud to call North Carolina home. Kathryn is a passionate advocate for voting rights, with a focus on youth political engagement. Kathryn spent two years researching the implications of absentee and provisional voting policies on North Carolina voters. Her team’s work culminated in an article about youth provisional voting in North Carolina published in the Rutgers University Law Review. At Duke University, Kathryn served as the news editor for The Duke Chronicle, was a political engagement project fellow in the Hart Leadership Program, works as a teaching assistant in the Sanford School of Public Policy, and is a student pastor for Duke Wesley. Last summer, she interned on the research team at Issue One, the leading crosspartisan political reform organization in Washington, DC. She is writing her honors thesis researching how universities can best utilize convenience voting methods, such as on-campus early voting, to decrease barriers to the ballot and increase student political engagement.